The Wolves have not won against Liverpool in nearly 27 years, however a win tomorrow would put the Wolves out of the relegation zone, at least for a short time.

If Liverpool win, it will see them back up to eighth place with a game in hand.

The Reds will only be without vice captain Jamie Carragher, who is recovering from a shoulder operation and Jay Spearing, out with ankle problems. They will have their captain Steven Gerrard and defender Daniel Agger back after being sidelined for weeks with injury.

Wolverhampton are without Kevin Doyle and Jody Craddock due to thigh injuries. Karl Henry and Michael Macienne are also sidelined with knee injuries.

Saturday, 25 December 2010

Blackpool will be hoping they can host their Boxing Day match against Liverpool after the English weather postponed their last two matches.

Bloomfield Road lacks the undersoil heating system so many other football stadiums have, but all precautions are being taken into place to prevent freezing of the pitch, including coverings and heat blowers.

The last time the sides met, Blackpool beat Liverpool at Anfield 2-1 however at home, they have the worst record in the Premier League, claiming only eight points out of a possible 22.

Liverpool have also suffered in their away form, losing more than half of their away games.

Blackpool will be without several players tomorrow, including their captain Charlie Adam who is serving a one-match ban. Alex Baptiste, Billy Clarke, Matthew Gilks and Maluary Martin are all out with knee injuries, while Marlon Harewood and Ludovic Sylvestre are both suffering a hamstring injury.

Meanwhile, Liverpool receive a boost with the return of their captain Steven Gerrard after being out with a hamstring injury picked up from an international match.

Defender Daniel Agger will also be available while fellow defender Jamie Carragher is still out after his shoulder surgery.

Kick-off is at 15:00 GMT. The game will not be shown live on television in the UK however will be broadcasted live via BBC Radio 5 Live.

Thursday, 16 December 2010

Liverpool and Utrecht had a repeat of the last time they met, with a 0-0 draw in their final Europa group match.

Reds manager Roy Hodgson had said before the match that Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina would both start for the team, but neither made an appearance on the pitch, in preparation of the Fulham game on Saturday.

The team Hodgson put out consisted of several reserve players meant to get their chance to shine, however the game came off dull.

Milan Jovanovic had the greatest chance of a goal for Liverpool only eight minutes in, but the ball just hit the crossbar.

Utrecht’s Van Wolfswinkel needed to be stretchered off just before halftime after falling awkwardly and breaking his collarbone.

The second half did not improve for either team. Joe Cole tried to score a late game winner, but the goal was stopped by the Utrecht defence.

Utrecht pushed in the final moments to do the same, but was denied by Reds’ keeper Brad Jones.

Overall, most of the players just seemed absent on the pitch for both teams, leaving fans bored and disappointed.

Though Utrecht was already out of the competition, the away fans cheered their team with a standing ovation while Liverpool were met with boos from their fans, even though the team has already qualified for the Europa League knockout stages.

Tuesday, 14 December 2010

Though Liverpool have nothing to lose or gain from their clash with Utrecht, they will want to leave the Europa League group stages on a high note.

The Reds have already qualified for the knockout round while FC Utrecht failed to make it.

However, the Dutch side will still be playing for pride tomorrow night at Anfield.

Liverpool are still expected to play a fairly strong team, including Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina.

Manager Roy Hodgson told Liverpoolfc.tv today, “Pepe Reina likes to play. He would like to play in this one and I'm not going to be the one who says to him, 'You want to play, so you don't play.’ “

A few reserve players will also be given their chance to shine.

Hodgson continued about the reserves, “It is a good chance to give some players a run out. It's a good chance for Jonjo (Shelvey) to show what he can do again. He's played a lot of European games and done very well.”

Utrecht are also expected to play a strong squad.

The teams first met in Holland late September that ended in a 0-0 draw.

The match kicks off at 8:05pm and will be shown live on channel Five. Tickets are currently on sale for £20 for adults and children 16 and under go free with any adult ticket purchased.

Monday, 13 December 2010

Liverpool walked away from St James Park with a 3-1 defeat against the Toons Saturday night.

Newly appointed Newcastle manager Alan Pardew saw his side take an early lead from a free-kick taken by Joey Barton, headed by Andy Carroll, and then at the feet of Kevin Nolan who put it into the net.

Liverpool tried to equalise nearly immediately following the Newcastle goal, however Maxi Rodriguez headed the ball over the crossbar after a decent cross from Glen Johnson.

Wednesday, 8 December 2010

When football fans think of Anfield, what may come to mind is that it’s home to one of the greatest English football teams. You may not expect to find a finely themed restaurant serving up exquisite meals.

Anfield’s newest addition, The Boot Room Sports Café, opened in October of this year. It seats 230 guests and includes a private dining area and a bar.

The tables are all adorned with wine glasses and large black decorative napkins with a golden Liverpool FC crest imprinted on them.

The large booths around the room all have flatscreen televisions broadcasting Liverpool’s signature channel, LFCTV.

The Boot Room’s menu is quite large. It was hard to decide what to order because there were so many dishes on offer: from hamburgers, sandwiches, pizza and salads, and much more.

There are also Christmas specials going on right now featuring pork loin and roasted chicken dishes.

Even the ‘Mini Boot Room,’ the children’s menu, had a lot to choose from. There are kid’s favourites such as pasta with meat balls and beef burgers, but also chicken fajitas and a ‘make your own’ pizza.

The drinks menu has a variety of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. Mocktails (nonalcoholic cocktails) are cleverly named after current players, such as ‘Gerrard’s Gold’ and ‘Cole’s Coca Cola Float.’

After a good long look at the menu, I decided on the rare roast beef sandwich with caramelized onions. It came with hand-cut crisps and a side salad.

The meal was bigger than expected. The sandwich had perfectly cooked roast beef strips. The caramelized onions were a bit overpowering though, but after taking a few off, I would say my sandwich was perfect.

The hand-cut crisps were very tasty. It was just a shame you only get about four crisps. However after that sandwich, I could hardly think about eating more crisps!

The prices are moderate, with most meals under £10. Two meals including nonalcoholic drinks brought my bill to just under £20.

The food and atmosphere made the meal an enjoyable experience, and I would highly recommend it to any Kopite, whether you have travelled to Anfield for a visit or a local just wanting some good food and a drink.

The Boot Room Sports Café is open from 11:30am. Food stops being served at 9, but the bar is open until 11 (except on match days).

Tuesday, 7 December 2010

Gerard Houllier’s return to Anfield was not as he wanted, as he walked away losing 3-0 against Liverpool Monday night.

Liverpool were even without some of their top players, such as Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, and Fernando Torres who missed the game due to his wife going into labour.

The game seemed to go wrong nearly from the start, as the ball bounced off defender Martin Skrtel’s head, onto David Ngog’s, then into the back of the net 13 minutes in.

Only two minutes later did midfielder Lucas chip the ball to Ryan Babel, who then put it past Villa keeper Brad Friedel to make it 2-0.

Aston Villa failed to make anything happen, leaving the game one-sided in the first half.

However the beginning of the second half saw a livelier Villa. The visiting side finally had their chance in the 53rd minute when Gabriel Agbonlahor took a shot six yards away from the goal, but was swiftly denied a goal by Reds’ keeper Pepe Renia.

Desperate for a goal, Villa’s players were pushing forward, consequently leaving holes in the defense.

This gave Liverpool midfielder Maxi Rodriguez to easily break through and make it 3-0 in the 55th minute. The goal puts Liverpool +1 in goal difference on the league table.

Villa’s John Carew nearly scored right after subbing for Agbonlahor 66 minutes into the match, but Reina saved it. It would be Villa’s second, and last, attempt on target.

Liverpool nearly made it worse for Houllier’s side with close attempts by both Glen Johnson and Sotirios Kyrgiakos.

Pepe Reina, playing captain for the night while Gerrard and Carragher are both injured, walked away from the match with his 100th clean sheet in record time for the club.

Aston Villa are currently two places from the relegation zone on the Premier League table. Liverpool’s win put them in 8th position from 12th.

Gerard Houllier will be returning to Anfield today after six years, but this time as manager of Aston Villa.

Aston Villa have won only once in their last six league games and hope to add nothing but a win to their record at Liverpool on this cold wintery Monday night at 8pm.

Liverpool also need nothing but three points. They have been inconsistent so far this season, and that has seen them currently in 12th place in the Barclays Premier League.

A win will see the Reds to at least 9th place, but it still puts them in a better position and possibly as contenders for a Champions League spot.

Unfortunately, both teams are very injury-plagued at the moment.

Liverpool are still without captain Steven Gerrard due to hamstring and co-captain Jamie Carragher, who underwent a surgery last week on his dislocated shoulder picked up against Tottenham.

Defender Daniel Agger is also still out with calf problems, and Jay Spearing’s ankle is still on the mend.

Aston Villa are in a worse position however, with midfielder Barry Brannan and Habib Beye both doubtful.

Also unavailable for the visiting team are Delph, Heskey, Petrov and Reo-Coker all because of knee issues, Sidwell (Achilles), Weimann (ankle) and Albrighton, who is currently suffering from appendicitis.

Ashley Young will be out serving his one-match ban after acquiring five bookings so far this season.

Monday, 29 November 2010

Tottenham proved to be the better side Sunday night as a last minute goal from Aaron Lennon saw them triumph against Liverpool.

Liverpool were left without the likes of Daniel Agger and Joe Cole, who was expect to start but picked up an ankle injury during warm-ups.

They were also without Captain Steven Gerrard, who is currently out with a hamstring injury.

Tottenham also had their fair share of problems, with several of their own out on injury including Rafael Van der Vaart, who started for the Spurs, but was forced off in the 9th minute due to hamstring problems. Jermain Defoe came on as sub.

Liverpool were showing that their injuries had not taken the best of them, after Martin Skrtel made it 0-1 in the 42nd minute after a Tottenham free kick went wrong.

The first half ended after two more close calls for the Reds from Maxi Rodriguez and Fernando Torres.

Early in the second half, a penalty was awarded to Tottenham after Liverpool striker David Ngog blocked a free kick with his arms. Defoe took the penalty but hit it too wide and missed the shot.

65th minute, a shot Modric for Tottenham nearly scored.

However, a block attempt came from Skrtel, who slid and incidentally hit the ball into the net, making it an own goal.

Ngog took a rough push in the 73rd minute, causing him to be substituted and replaced surprisingly by left-back Fabio Aurelio.

With 15 minutes left, Liverpool were anxious to pull ahead. Unfortunately this meant messy attempts from the likes of Raul Meireles and Aurelio.

In the last five minutes, Jamie Carragher, in the midst of a challenge with Spurs’ Peter Crouch, hit his shoulder causing dislocating it.

The winner came two minutes into extra time with the winning goal from Lennon, who latched onto a Gareth Bale pass.

Liverpool defender Paul Konchesky did not even seem to put up a fight as Lennon controlled the ball and put it past the Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina.

The Liverpool loss sees them one place down to 10th place in the league table.

Liverpool proved they were still a fighting force after a 3-0 win over West Ham at Anfield on Saturday.

Reds defender Glen Johnson, who had been out with an ankle injury, opened the scoring in the 18th minute, assisted by Raul Meireles.

After West Ham defender Daniel Gabbidon was caught with a handball after 27 minutes in an effort to get away from Fernando Torres, a penalty was given in which Dirk Kuyt safely put past keeper Robert Green into the back of the net.

A third Liverpool goal came just before the end of the second half after a header from Maxi Rodriguez, after a nice cross from Paul Konchesky.

West Ham finally had a chance when Carlton Cole broke through the Liverpool defence only to put his header over the bar.

The second half showed no extra goals, as Liverpool's pace seemed to slow, but West Ham failed to take advantage of this or show any improvement.